French law to encourage more piracy - Apple

US technology giant Apple Computer said a proposed French law that would force the company to make sure that songs bought on its iTunes music store could work on any portable player would result in "state-sponsored piracy," a Reuters report said.

 

"The French implementation of the EU Copyright Directive will result in state-sponsored piracy," Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris, quoted by Reuters, said. "If this happens, legal music sales will plummet just when legitimate alternatives to piracy are winning over customers."

 

The National Assembly, France's lower house of parliament, passed the law, which French officials said was aimed at preventing any one company from building a grip on the digital online music retail market, the report said.

 

The new legislation would require that online music retailers provide the digital rights management software that protected copyright material to allow the conversion of music from one format to another, the report said.

 

But Apple said the law, which it opposed, would likely actually increase its sales of iPod music players.